#and help them fixing moons problem of being stuck in attack mode

[betweenblackberrybranches]

Yo wait, has anyone made skyrim dca? As dwemer automations? Hello? That idea has been bouncing around my head for a while... that would be so fun

Gonna try my hand at it actually

They are the fucking DCA Dwemer City Atendant

[the-fandom-fuckup]

A bit more for that modern fantasy au I teased a bit ago

Character designs n stuff are slightly based off the official halloween n fantasy ending arts, plus whatever else I wanted to do, so Kiri is a dragon shifter here, Baku is a werewolf, n Ochako is a witch.

There'll probably be a hint of a/b/o dynamics here for weres n shifters, n the idea of alpha!Kiri n alpha!Baku has stuck to me like glue, so that's a thing here also

There's no real plot for this, just these three being dumb n pining, and everyone around them rolling their eyes n dealing with it lmao

I've thought about jobs n first meetings tho, n came up with this. Kiri's a firefighter (along with Tetsu, who is also a dragon shifter, bc I love him and their bro-bond), bc big fire resistent boy running into fires to help people just makes sense. Also I really like the thought of him in the uniform

Ochako works as a self defense instructor with Gunhead at a small gym in town, probably helping people with magic items n stuff on the side for extra cash or smth, I dunno. She might wanna move into a more magically dominant field one day, but she likes the environment of the gym n the regulars that come in n chat between classes. She's also very good at what she does n has put many assholes in their place after they've scoffed at "the cute little girl you have here".

Baku is a "park ranger", n I use quotations bc that's the only title he could really give himself to have any authority over the land he owns. He gives himself more leeway than what some laws may grant, tho tbh if you're coming into his territory with intent to harm those in it, you're lucky to walk away at all just sayin'

He runs an escape park of sorts for weres n shifters to run around during full moons and other times they need to shed their human skin, personally owned so he can avoid all the bullshit regulations n "safety procedures" found in bigger places that try offering the same thing, but ultimately make the shifting process shittier than it needs to be. And words gets around so it gets super popular super fast, n people of all ages come by

Tbh the thought of a teeny tiny wolf, like 10y/o at most running around Baku n trying to get him to play, nipping at his ankles n calling him the pack alpha is really what settled the debate on whether he should be an alpha or omega. And the added image of Baku rolling his eyes n putting on his toughass act but not really minding it as he gets them moving with a tap on the ass, muttering "Fuckin told ya squirt, I'm not your pack alpha. Now find someone else's ankles to bite at, I'm busy", makes me feel really nice

For some first meetings, tbh Kiribaku probably happens first, n they meet when Kiri n Tetsu accidentally trespass on Baku's territory bc they're new to the area n found a big ass lake to soak in during a flight over town, like dude!! Fuck yea that could fit both of us easy, man I haven't soaked in my big form in forever lets go!

And ofc if the giant shadows overhead hadn't tipped him off the security sensors would've so Baku's like who in the FUCK!! N storms off to confront them bc you don't just come on his land like that. That's how people get fucking hurt you dumb assholes 😤😤

N Kiri n Tetsu are mostly just minding their own business, settling down into the lake like aw yea that's the shit, almost passing out bc they'd just had a long day n the water was so cool n the fish eatting the dead skin n shit off their scales was so relaxing. They don't even realise they'd drifted into a light doze when they hear furious snarling n harsh sniffing coming their way, n barely have enough time to get up before Baku comes tearing shit through the trees

And like. Kiri n Tetsu know that they're big boys. Their full sized dragon forms are huge n there's not much out there that scares them, but nobody likes coming face to face with a snarling werewolf, standing in their territory without any warning that you maybe shouldn't be there

Despite the hostile intro, it doesn't take much for the misunderatanding to be cleared up. There's a lot of apologies from Kiri n Tetsu n a lot of irritated snorts from Baku, but they get straightened out. Baku tells them what kinda show he's running n Kiri inatantly get sparkly eyes like dude!! You do that all by yourself?! That's so manly bro you gotta let us help with that

Baku snorts like you don't have to make empty offers if you wanna use the grounds, I don't refuse people unless they pose an actual threat to the others. You guys aren't dangerous, just stupid. N Kiri goes hey rude, but also it's gotta be a lot dealing with all that on your own. We can at least watch out from above, keep an eye on shit or whatever bc face it man, you may be great but even you can't be in multiple places at once.

And the only reason Baku ends up agreeing is bc they pester him about it until he's well past irritated, n he's figured out the only way to shut them up was concede. They can't be there fulltime anyway consudering their professions, but they're sure to help when they can

Kirichako meet at the gym. Kiri's buying a membership or smth bc you gotta keep the stength up bro! Can't be slacking when you're the difference between someone living n someong dying y'know? Ochako's either in a class or dealing with some hothead, her furrowed brows n puffed cheeks distracting Kiri n reminding him of a chipmunk before bud says smth he can't hear but has Ochako seeing red. It doesn't take long for him to end up on his ass n Kiri's just stuck watching, jaw dropped n heart eyes as Ochako tells the guy he can either fix his attitude or find somewhere else to go

Kiri turns to Tetsu like dude holy shit did you see that?? N Tetsu's like yea bro everyone saw it, n Ochako comes up to them like sorry about that. We have a no harassment policy here that some people overstep, n it sucks that we get people coming in that need it enforced but unfortunately it's pretty common.

Then, bc she's still a bit sour, she looks them both dead in the eyes with a fire raging behind hers like if that's not smth you think you can handle then you might as well save us all the hassle n leave now. N they're both like no way that was great, totally understandable, just tell us where to sign

And while she came off as kinda aggressive during their initial meet, Kiri's quick to find she has just as much sweetness to match her bite. He watches her between sets sometimes n sees how kind n gentle she can be with the younger classes that come in, how she doesn't single out people who struggle n instead moves to help n provide tips without making a huge deal of it

She's also one of the first people to come running when someone gets hurt, he finds out. He'd admittedly been more focused on her sparring with Gunhead than he'd been on the super heavy equipment he was using for his reps, n managed to look over at the perfect time to get flustered n drop it directly on his foot. The resounding crack was loud enough to catch quite a bit of attention, tho he knows the equipment is more likely to be damaged than his foot

Ochako doesn't even hesitate to run over n levitate him to take the pressure off of his not broken foot, going "oh my god are you okay?? Someone clear that bench please, he needs to get off his feet now!" N Kiri does appreciate the concern, as embarassing as it may be, n tries to tell her it's really not a big deal, thanks for the help but honestly--

N she rounds on him like say that one more time n you'll be dealing with a broken nose instead, now sit your ass down n let me handle this!! Kiri can't even reply with anything other than a quiet okay😳😳 bc he's always thought her determination was super admirable, but being this close n seeing it burn in her eyes so intensely is taking it to a whole new level n he has no clue how to handle it

Kacchako meeting is kind of a hybrid mix of the other two combined lmao. Baku owns a pack house where he lives with Deku, then later with Kiri, Tetsu, Mina, Kami, n Sero, but he's so busy with the park that he's hardly ever home. N since Ochako's kinda embarassed about her tiny ass appartment, they usually hang out at the pack house to talk over magic studies or gossip over whatever's happened recently. At this point Baku n Ochako have heard of each other but never been around at the same time

Which causes a problem one day while Ochako's in the kitchen making tea when Baku comes home. He'd had a stressful day warding off poachers or smth, n his rut's just a few days away now, so when he opens the door n is greeted with a slightly unfamiliar scent it sends him into a daze, where he stalks to the kitchen before he even knows that he's moving

Ochako knows tho, can hear the low growls and deliberately quiet steps creeping behind her, setting her on edge bc ohhhh my god, someone just broke into Deku's place holy shit!! And when it gets close enough to barely feel hot breath on the back of her neck she's flinging herself into action, all muscle memory as she gets a few quick jabs into Baku's gut. It knocks the question outta his lungs, getting out a choked "who the--" before her magic kicks in and she's picking him up n slamming him down with his weight returned for maximum momentum, body slamming the following "fUCK!!" out as well before she placed her weight on him to keep him down. She gets right in his face demanding "who are you?! How did you get in here?!"

And when he can breathe again Baku snaps back like "who tf am I?!? I live here!! Who tf are you?!?!" And like, she's still in fight mode so she's looking him over like hmm, so this is Bakugou. Then she realises wtf she's doing n goes oh my god it's Bakugou!! N she's jumping off him and apologising so fast that she's barely saying words, trying to take his hands n help him back up but getting swatted away bc you've done enough touching don't you think??

And yea, Baku's kinda pissed. Being attacked in your own house does that to anyone, let alone a pre-rut alpha. But also, he's kinda impressed, bc he can count on one hand the amount of people who've gotten the drop on him like that, but he'd rather die than admit it out loud. So he just huffs at her with a final "try that shit again n I'll kill you", n stalks off to his room, having more important things to worry about right then than who's fucking around in his kitchen

((His rut decides to be completely unhelpful that time around, his alpha brain locking in on the faint perfume she'd left on his shirt while tossing him around and how perfectly it mixed with his own scent, as well as the shirt he nabbed from Kiri's laundry basket the night before. He rubs the scents of these strong potential mates all over his den, knots his rut aid with his face plastered to the shirts then uses it to scent the shirts even more, drunk off of how well their scents all mix together. He's rightfully embarassed during the end when he can start thinking properly again n throws both shirts to the back of his closet to be forgotten about--as much as his alpha fights him on it--n moves on to his business like normal.

Tho if he tries to be home more often when he knows Ochako's coming around, n spends more time in Kiri's space, nobody's mean enough to comment on it. At least, not at first.))

Man I have many feelings about this, but I'll leave it here for now bc I could go on forever

[batboysandgirls]

Tim Drake x Reader - Explosions And Other Saturday Morning Activities - PART 3

PART ONE HERE, PART TWO HERE, and PART FOUR HERE! Title: Explosions And Other Saturday Morning Activities - PART 3 Pairing: Tim Drake x Reader Summary: After saving Red Robin (and finding out his secret identity), you’ve become a semi-public figure in Gotham, especially so once a rumor starts that you and Gotham royalty Tim Drake-Wayne are dating.  You’ve garnered a little TOO much attention, apparently.  Black Mask kidnaps you and holds you in his warehouse lair.  You fight to find a way out, and to get help from the Batfamily and actual authorities before Black Mask gets his hands on you.  But that’s not going to be easy... Notes: Canon-typical descriptions of violence and injuries, particularly severe in this part. Words: 5k Taglist:  @silentwhispofhope, @ashfromthesol, @oh-no-my-ravioli, @katelynkargol, @rhymeswithrason, @grincheveryday, @ivysfaves

You woke up laying on a concrete floor, hands bound with a zip tie.  A week ago, this would have been insane; your biggest problems were paper jams and how to make Ramen fast enough to pack some in your thermos for lunch.  Now, though, waking up with your hands tied was just about as weird as discovering Red Robin’s secret identity and saving some superheroes after your office exploded.  Sometimes that’s how it goes.

Sometimes your friend George asks you to help him fix his computer and then knocks you unconscious with some sort of gas!  George, of all people!  Perfectly nice friend of yours.  At least, it had seemed.  Could you trust anyone?  Whatever.  Time to focus.

Your instinct was to sit up and figure out where you were, but you kept still.  There might be people watching you who are pretty kept unawares that you were awake.  From where you laid, you were staring at a blank, cinder block wall.  There was a very small window high up in the wall, letting in a bit of light.  It was clearly pretty dark outside, you could see, but either from the moon or cityscape, brightness shone through.  You closed your eyes and listened.  You couldn’t hear… anything, besides your own breathing.

Time to test if anyone was near you.  You kept your eyes closed and made a soft sleepy noise, that’s kind of like a moan or grunt.  You heard no noise in response.  Okay.  You moved your body a bit, like you were fidgeting in your sleep.  Still nothing—not a person’s footsteps, not the sound of clothes rustling as someone turned.  Perfect.  You opened your eyes and sat up, looking around quickly.

The wall you’d been looking at was on your right, in front and behind you were totally bare cinder block walls, and on your left was a wall with an ordinary door in it.  The room had a higher ceiling than you’d figured a prisoner/holding cell would have.  You managed to stand up and scuttled over to the door.  You flopped back onto the floor and looked under the crack.  There wasn’t much to see.  It just looked like there was a plain hallway outside.  Not too helpful.

Okay.  It seemed a few things were clear.  You had been left alone.  You were probably just stuck in some sort of random room in Black Mask’s… Lair?  Hideout?  Uh.  Office?  This room kind of screamed office building.  The next thing that was clear—you needed to get out.

The first part of getting out was getting free of this zip tie.  You had seen an infographic at some point…  Okay.

(You were going to be fine.  It’s okay.  It’s okay, right?  You need someone to tell you it’s okay, but no one is here.  So you tell yourself.)

So, the first way to get out of a zip-tie was if you presented your hands to your captors with your fists clenched and plans facing down, you could unclench and turn your palms inward and slide out of them.  Being unconscious meant they secured your wrists tightly, so there was no way to slip through.

There was a second way involving using your fingernail to lift the locking bar on the zip tie, making it easy to, well, un-zip the zip tie, to pull out the cord.  But that was easier when you had multiple people.  You didn’t have a good enough angle to get a fingernail in the zip tie on your own.

And the third way.  A bit more forceful.  You tightened the tie as much as possible with your teeth, then put the locking mechanism between your hands.  You then lift your arms above your head and yank them down, and back towards your stomach, flaring your arms out like you’re trying to touch your shoulder blades together.  The weakest point of a zip tie is the locking mechanism, so the tie usually snaps at the lock as your arms come down.

You pulled the tie tighter with your teeth, made harder because your hands were trembling.  Why should you be scared?  This was simple.

(Why should you be scared?  Because you were in adrenaline mode.  Because your brain went totally calm, so you wouldn’t be panicstricken.  Because this was now one too many near death experiences and sometimes you gotta shove it all down to make it through alive.)

After it was tightened to where your circulation wasn’t quite cut off, you lifted your shaking hands as far over your head as you could, then slammed them down onto your stomach.  The zip tie didn’t break.  You felt your heart beat a little faster, a little panic leaking into your mind.  No, no, no.  Not now.  Try again.  Arms up, and down as forceful as you could—!

Snap!

The zip tie broke, and your chest flooded with relief.  Unfortunately, strange calm that had held back your sheer panic seemed to have broken as well.  The task ahead of you now was a lot more daunting.  You were going to leave this room somehow.  And make it to safety without getting caught and killed.  From the window, you knew it was late.  You probably had only been unconscious for a few hours.  That meant that people might not know you had been kidnapped.  Tim might not know...

(GOD!  WHY DID TIM SPECIFICALLY POP INTO YOUR HEAD?  THIS IS NOT HELPFUL, BRAIN!)

...And if no one knows you’ve been kidnapped, then no one probably knows to come save you.  You’re on your own, then.  Okay.  Alright.  You’ve got this.  Probably.

Escaping was the goal.  The immediate option was go through the tiny window.  There were a few issues.  For one, the window was very high up in the wall, and the walls were taller than average to begin with.  Next, even though the cinder blocks did mean there were little gaps where mortar separated the bricks, you didn’t think you would get much of a grip if you tried to climb.  Last, even if somehow you managed to scale it, if you fell off near the top, you’d certainly break a limb—if not your skull.

So, that left going through the door into whatever compound this was and trying to find a way out.  Which was a deeply terrifying prospect, but it seemed to be your only option.

You stilled for a moment.  What could, feasibly, happen when you went out there?  Why were you here in the first place?  Obviously, Black Mask knew who you were after you saved Nightwing and Robin, helping to foil his plans.  Obviously, he had you kidnapped by a Wayne Enterprises intern who is really a spy for him.  Less obvious points—George was an intern long before you got involved with the bat vigilantes.  Does that mean he was a spy for different reasons but was ordered to kidnap you after the whole tower attack mess happened?  What was his original goal as a spy?  And why now did he kidnap you?  If you annoyed Black Mask so much, wouldn’t he just... kill you?

A chill ran down your spine.  No.  No, if Black Mask wanted you dead, George would have killed you in his apartment.  He specifically wanted you alive, probably to use you for… something.  Make a big spectacle of killing this civilian hero somehow?  Torture you to see if you know the identities of the batclan?  Torture you just to get revenge for ruining his operation?

The fact that you were alive suggested that perhaps, even if you did break out and were found by Black Mask’s goons, that you might not be killed instantly.  You had to be kept alive for something, in all likelihood.  So as dangerous as it is to go out of your cell, it probably wouldn’t be fatal.  Probably.  The fact was, you likely were being held to eventually be killed or tortured.  Black Mask didn’t kidnap you just to let you go.  So, leaving your cell and running the risk of getting killed was about as safe as waiting to see what happens.

The door was locked, but you picked it with a broken half of the zip tie and a hair pin that you thankfully had decided to use this morning to keep your hair out of your face.  You opened the door.

✹ ✹

The complex was surprisingly empty and open.  You occasionally heard people coming, but you always managed to duck into a closet or room before they passed to avoid notice.

Your heart seemed to beat so loud you were sure the goons would hear it through the wall, but, thankfully, life decided against resembling an Edgar Allen Poe story and gave you a break.  But your hands didn’t stop shaking as you sped through the complex, searching for some way to get out of here.

There were doors everywhere, and almost every one of them was a small armory.  You were aware Black Mask was a crime lord, but you now just were realizing he probably is responsible for all the weapon trafficking in Gotham.  It seemed were more than enough guns in these storage closets to arm all of the Gotham gangs several times over.  Just what the city needs…

Your eyes were peeled for security cameras, glancing just a tad around a corner to see if you could spot any on the ceiling before you went down a new hallway.  Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any (although you weren’t resting easy with that—surely there were some out of sight).

Less fortunately, you weren’t much closer to getting out of this place.  You couldn’t find anything that seemed to lead towards an exit; you were just lost in a maze of armory rooms.  After maybe fifteen minutes of wandering, hearing something, and hiding in a closet full of guns, you came across a room with windows looking in.  It looked like a security room, with a bunch of numbered monitors showing camera feeds—most not from this level of this building, but other floors and rooms.  There were a few on this basement level, and you bet they probably would have shown you at least briefly moving past.

(Damn.  You hated being right.  Things had been going pretty well for you for a kidnapping… couldn’t they just continue to go right?)

The way the security room was set up, you thought there may be room for you to slide behind the desk and monitors if someone comes and stay there silently for a while.  Not a bad place to search.  You tried the handle, and when it opens, you slip in.

There was a computer below all the security monitors, but it was locked and you couldn’t create another profile or anything to log on.  You then started searching the drawers of the desk in this room.  There were a lot of papers (which at a glance seem to be weapon trafficking records), some pens, a couple guns, and, miraculously, in the final drawer, your stuff.  Your keys and your phone.

(Never in your life had you been so glad to see your phone.  You could imagine your grandparents making some comment about “kids and their phones!” and you almost smiled.)

You grabbed the phone and immediately crawl behind the desk, out of the line of sight of anyone walking through the door or sitting in front of the monitors.  You felt very claustrophobic, but it would be very hard for someone to spot you.  Your hands shook as you went to Maps and turned on location.  You had a decent signal, and it quickly placed you in an abandoned warehouse in Tricorner Yards…  it gave an approximate address.  You called 911 next, carefully explaining where you were based on the mapping and what had happened to you.  The operator sounded a little alarmed but told you to stay as safe as possible until authorities arrived and that they were contacting the police.

You sat for a few moments in silence after you hung up with 911 before you called Tim.  It went to his answering machine (which he hadn’t even set up—lame).  You expected that, though.

“Hey, Tim.  It’s _____.  I’m currently at an abandoned warehouse in Tricorner Yards.  Got kidnapped by George, another intern.  He works for Black Mask.  I found a way to break out of my cell, and find my phone.  Now I’m just waiting.”

You paused.

“If they do find me soon, they could kill me.  Or worse.  And I wanted you to know, in case that happens, that I—I—“

(Wait, what are you doing?  What are you saying?  You barely know this boy!  WHAT ARE YOU DOING??)

“I’m thankful for your help.  To me and the city.  You deserve to know that from someone who really knows you.”

(Okay.  That’s fine.  General appreciation is okay.  Don’t go too fast on anything else, though.  Cool?  Cool.)

“I’ll hang up now and continue to hide...  Goodbye, Tim.”

(Your breath caught on “goodbye.”  Was there a point in not going fast and spilling the raw instinct of your heart when death was so close?  Probably not, no.  Did you have the courage to overcome your fear?  Also no.)

You hung up the phone, then quickly realized if you were caught, it would be better to be found without the phone.  You deleted the calls from your history and stuck it back in the random drawer it had been inside in this security room.

You stood for a second, running through possibilities in your mind.

So, at some point, someone is going to retrieve you from your cell and realize you’re not there if, you know, you’re not there.  Then an active hunt would probably begin for you.  But you’ve now put in a call to the authorities who probably would get the GCPD, Batman, and… his associates on the case.  If you return to your cell, making it appear you’d never left—they wouldn’t think anyone was coming.  Which could be a huge advantage for your rescuers.

The other option was to continue to hide outside the cell.  These security cameras for sure caught you walking around, but since no one has come in here, you’re not sure if they would even check it without a good reason.  But a manhunt for a missing captive would be a good reason.

Well, then.  Seems like going back to your cell is oddly the best thing to do.  On the security table, there was a basic map of this building with numbers.  Each number corresponded to a feed, revealing all the security camera locations.  The map also gave you an idea of how to return to your cell successfully, because you definitely only ended up here by chance.

With that knowledge, you left the office and headed for your cell.

✹ ✹

Tim was on a stakeout of a gang selling drugs in the Financial District when Batman came in over the coms.

“All members of the batfamily in the Gotham Harbor vicinity.  Black Mask’s headquarters have been located in an abandoned warehouse in Tricorner. He’s taken a hostage, _____, the girl involved in saving Red Robin and freeing Nightwing and Robin during our most recent encounter with Black Mask.  The police are locking down the area for us to go in and rescue _____,  before they begin a full raid of the warehouse.”

Tim grappled to the nearest rooftop immediately, stakeout forgotten.  “I’m on my way. ETA 10 minutes.”

“Be there in 15,” crackled Dick’s voice in his ear.

“Good.  I’ll need you both,” Bruce said.  He sounded sincere, which made Tim’s stomach flip even more than it already was.

You were in big trouble if in Black Mask’s hands.  And he had good reason to hate you.  Not many civilians could claim having a hand in Black Mask’s defeat—you being one of the rare exceptions.

(Tim thought of your kind but scrutinizing eyes.  How you looked at him like he was a puzzle you couldn’t quite solve but wanted to spend more time working on, how your calm voice was the only thing Tim could remember from that horrible day in Wayne Tower, how he was looking forward to seeing you in a way he hadn’t been looking forward to seeing anyone for a long time…)

No, no… Tim tried to clear his head as he moved across Gotham.  Feelings only make things more complicated.  Best to keep it simple...

(You are someone he doesn’t want to lose.  You too easily could be one of his many phantoms, his many ghosts.  Gone, but always with him, haunting.)

...best to keep it simple.

✹ ✹

You had been sitting in your cell for about a half hour when a man opened the door.

(Returning to your cell was easy, and the door locked itself behind you.  The zip tie still had been broken, but you could have done that and not been able to unlock the door.  Hopefully no one would know about your excursion and call to the police…)

“Get up, y—where’s your zip tie?”  The man was holding a gun but looked much less intimidating with such an incredulous look on his face.

“Not hard to break one of those,” you said, mimicking the motion you used to break it.  “But I’m still stuck here, so it didn’t help me do much of anything other than enjoy the circulation to my wrists.”

The guy still looked dumbstruck for a second before he shook his head and walked over to you.  You scrambled backward instinctively but he yanked you up by your arm and shoved your body in front of him.  You then felt him press the cold barrel of the gun against your back, through the fabric of your shirt.

You inhaled shakily as the guy jabbed the barrel into your spine.

“Walk, kid.  Or I fire this thing and you won’t be able to.”

You did as you were told.  The guy barked instructions as you moved through the complex.  You didn’t pass by the security office, instead you went through a nondescript door that was actually a stairwell.  You went up five stories, your legs feeling like jello as you got to the final landing.  There was a pretty fancy looking door.  Uh oh.

“Excited to meet the boss, girlie?” the man cooed in your ear, leaning forward.  You winced.  No, actually.  You weren’t excited.

You were terrified.

The man grabbed you by the arm and pushed open the door, throwing you onto the floor before you could even look around.

As you struggled to your feet, you noticed three things.  First, you were surrounded by men with machine guns.  Second, George didn’t appear to be in the vicinity, which kind of sucked.  You wanted to be able to glare at him.  Third, this was easily the nicest part of this building.  It looked like it could be an office in Wayne Tower.  There was a fancy wooden desk, huge windows behind it, a skylight splashing the glow of the moon onto the floor.  Cushy, modern, classy…

There was one more thing.  Black Mask was standing directly in front of you.  Your brain was processing that a little slowly for fear of just passing out in dread right there.

He gave you a kick just as you were standing, and you yelped as you fell back down.  His laughter echoed like—well, you couldn’t say like a supervillain.  He was a supervillain.

(Was this a productive debate to be having over semantics in your head at a time like this?  No.  Were you having it anyway to try to cope with this situation?  Certainly.)

“I can’t believe this thing ruined the Wayne Tower operation,” Black Mask snorted.  “Can’t be older than eighteen.”

You frowned.  Didn’t like being called a thing.  Also, you were nineteen, but even with your general snarkiness, you couldn’t work up the courage to snap back.  You didn’t bother to get up this time; you sat on the floor, staring.

“You’re probably wondering what I’m going to do to you, kid.”

He seemed to be waiting for a response, so you said nothing.  He narrowed his eyes.

“Quiet one, huh.  That’s fine.”  Black Mask picked up a knife off his desk.  “I’m sure I can get you talking.”

“I—I can talk,” you stammered, and, god, you sounded as scared as you felt.  “I just—what can I tell you?  I’m just…”

You trailed off, and Black Mask laughed.

“Just what?  Not just anything normal after that your little rescue stunt.  I am interested in one thing: those pesky secret identities.  You were talking with the bat bastards, yeah?”

(Okay.  Keep calm.  Confusion, bewilderment; you know nothing about the batclan.  Don’t overdo it, though.)

“I don’t know their secret identities,” you said, shaking your head, just to sound as fearing and disbelieving as possible.  “I barely spoke more than a couple words to Nightwing when I cut him down before I ran out of there.  You need a detective or something.  Not me, I—I—”

Black Mask kicked you.

“You cut them down with one of their weapons.  You didn’t just find that, now, did you?  The other one.  Red Robin.  He gave it to you.  And I attacked them through their masks.  There’s no way he kept that on and lived.  And you are one of the only people who may have seen that boy without the mask on.”

“I don’t know who he is!  I just found him nearly passed out with some makeshift bandana with slits over the eyes an–an–and I took the batarang thing from his belt to cut them down.  His face was covered in blood, too.”

Another kick.  You let out a scream.  You thought a rib might be broken.  Black Mask leaned down to you.

“I don’t believe you, girl.  And even if you refuse to tell me, I’m going to hurt you so badly, and then show your beaten, bloodied corpse so publicly that no one ever will pull a stunt like yours again.”  His eyes were red—shining and fixed on you.  You could feel the blood leaving your face.  This man was not going to kill you, not at first.  He was going to put you through so much pain you would wish you were dead, and then some, before he’d finally finish you off.

Your face must have shown this realization, because he began to laugh as he stood back and gestured to you.

“Now she gets it, boys!  Now it’s coming to her.”

(Some laugh with him.  Some just look at you, guns trained, eyes void of anything.  Those guys were scarier than the laughing ones.  Much scarier.)

“This isn’t fun.  This isn’t a game.  This is war, and you’ve just lost, kid.”

He twirled the knife in his hand, approaching you with a cheerful whistle, and you stared, wondering if it would be better to close your eyes or watch what he was about to do to you.

When the skylight crashed in, you had never been so glad to avoid making a decision.  It had been probably close to forty minutes since your call to 911 and then Tim—about time!

You were sitting just under the skylight, and, as you heard a crash above you, you instinctively leapt to the right.  A smoke pellet went off, and then guns started firing.  You were already on the ground and crawled straight ahead, finding Black Mask’s desk and quickly hiding behind it.  Hopefully at least you’d be safe from some of the gunfire here.

Then, the window behind you broke apart as someone—from the brief view of their behind you got, you were guessing Nightwing—jumped through it, covering you in a smattering of glass.

(Maybe glass windows aren’t the move if you’re in a villain lair.  Or even in an office building that gets targeted by a villain.  You’d like to escape one incident from this saga not covered in glass, but you weren’t sure that was going to happen.)

Strangely, that put you over the edge.  Silently, tears ran down your cheeks, streaking your face with hot, wet trails that fell onto your shirt.  You didn’t make a sound, not that anyone could have heard over the firefight going on behind you and behind the desk—

(You swore that Black Mask was monologuing something at Batman.  In the middle of a fire fight.  This is why people hate Gotham.)

—but you cried.  You’d kept it together through the whole Wayne Tower fiasco, becoming a semi-public figure through association overnight, and through waking up in a cell and sneaking around this complex… but a little glass and something inside you just, well, shattered.

How many near death experiences had you had in the past week?  In the attack on Wayne Tower, the window exploding, barely escaping the stairway that collapsed, almost getting electrocuted, rescuing Nightwing and Robin without notice.  In this kidnapping attempt, George not killing you in his apartment, evading the detection of Black Mask’s goons as you snuck around, the batfamily swooping in to save the day right before Black Mask was going to torture and kill you.

A week ago, mere seconds before the windows of Wayne Tower exploded and you became the most ridiculously traumatized intern in the history of Gotham, you were a totally normal girl.  You had no ties to anything much bigger than yourself; you were just another faceless Gothamite and another faceless college student.

Even though you felt really glad to have met Tim, you just wanted this to be over.  To not be in danger, to not be a pseudo-celebrity on Buzzfeed… to just be you.  You, peacefully, happily, without fear.  You hadn’t felt like yourself much since the attack.  You pushed it all down, you tried to make yourself laugh with lightening thoughts to get you through this…

(And those thoughts were doing a pretty good job, you noted.)

But you can’t bottle up feelings and pretend everything is okay when it’s not.  Because it was really not.  And when things aren’t okay, it is okay to let it out.

So you wept to the sound of gunfire.  You almost didn’t notice when a familiar red-clad figure appeared next to you, almost didn’t notice his wrapping an arm around you and grappling out the window.  But the warmth of another person, one who you knew and one who you cared for a little bit more than (or a lot more than) the average person, filled you with relief.  It pulled you out of the darkness consuming you for just a moment.  Tim.  Tim.

He was here, and he was going to help you get away from everything.  You rested your head on his shoulder as you flew out of the warehouse into the cool Gotham night, clinging tight to him.  You were holding so close to him first because you were VERY high up in the sky, which was slightly terrifying and mesmerizing, but also because you needed some physical comfort and Tim could give it to you.

It was probably only a couple minutes you spent getting a bit of distance from the warehouse district, but the tranquility felt like hours compared to the chaos of the last few minutes.

When you finally landed on the ground, you were standing in front of a police barricade blocking off a few streets that led to Black Mask’s headquarters.  There were cops waiting nearby an ambulance who looked ready to wrap you in a blanket and clean you up, which would definitely be appreciated.  But you couldn’t let go of Tim’s arm.

Tim—Red Robin—finally spoke to you as he watched you look at the police.

“I thought you might need time to just let it out there, but are you alright?  Did he do anything to you?”

You opened your mouth to speak, then got choked up.  Tim took your hands, gave them a squeeze, and you finally found your words, swallowing back the emotion.

“No, he was about to do—do something when you guys came in.  I’m fine, other than the cuts from the glass.  I just—I—”

You thought you might start to cry again, but Tim pulled you into a hug.  He rubbed your back in circles and softly whispered “you’re safe” and “don’t worry” a few times.  You stood like that a while, not actually crying anymore but feeling that wave of emotion run through you again.  When you parted, you found it in you to smile at him.

“I still want dinner with your family, you know,” you whispered.

He smiled back.  “Oh, I was planning on it.”

“You should probably get back to… your fellow vigilantes.  I don’t want you to be unable to help because of me,” you said.

“It’s not just about taking out the bad guys, _____,” Tim replied quietly, “It’s about saving people.  If you need me here, I’ll stay as long as you want.”

(“Stay forever” seems like an excessive response to that offer, but your brain supplied it readily.)

You hugged him again, for a little longer than was necessary, then stepped back.  “Go.  They’ll need you.  I’m going to see you soon, anyway.”

Tim stared at you for just a second.  That look in his eyes…  You didn’t want to be overoptimistic about anything.

(Was he feeling what you were feeling?  Was this real?  Beyond the inside of your head and heart?)

Then Tim nodded, and with that Red Robin zoomed away with a shot off his grapple gun.

You walked up closer to the GCPD barricade and were immediately escorted to the ambulance where they began to clean and wrap up the lacerations from the window exploding at you.  They spoke softly to you and let you know that things were going to be alright, and that they were going to keep you safe and protected.  You appreciated it all, but your heart wasn't in it.  It was somewhere else entirely—swinging through the cityscape with a boy dressed in red and black.  The thought tugged a gentle smile across your lips.  You closed your eyes.

(UPDATE: PART FOUR IS HERE!) (THERE WILL BE A PART 4!!  WHICH WILL BE THE LAST PART!!!  I’ve already written it.  It is all done.  I just have to edit it...!  And, I promise, it’s a lot lighter than this chapter.  What’s going to happen between you and Tim?  Is anything going to happen?  You’ll see!  Thank you all for reading!!  I’ve gotten so many wonderful comments and asks encouraging and thanking me for this fic, and it makes my heart so full.  I’m so glad people have enjoyed this story!  I hope you’ll stick around for the final part!!  Let me know if you would like me to add you to the tag list! ˘◡˘ )

[sloppy-butcher]

Mechanical Memories

Amanda Young (The Pig) X Survivor! Reader

Notes: Just a lil fanfic idea I’ve been dying to try write. Amanda is a complex character and I’ve been chomping at the bit to try to write for her! maybe it goes well?? idk? I tried keeping the reader gender-neutral but if I’ve messed up I’ll change it!

You have many enemies lurking in the Fog of the Entity. Yet one of them sticks out the most for being the most savage and brutal. A woman who runs around with a Pig mask on her head. But what lies under that rotten flesh is something, or someone, that seems all too familiar. 

word count: 3148

TW: mentions of death and self-harm

She’s hated you from the first moment she saw you. Whenever you were unfortunate enough to be dragged into a trail with her it would always end in either of two ways. Sometimes she would single you out among your friends, driving you like cattle away from your safety in numbers until you were all alone with only her and that knife of hers. An easy target. This was her offer for a quick death. 

Other times, you were not so lucky. She would kill everyone else and then kill you. It would be a long, drawn-out trial, one which would be filled with the anguished screams of the others as you failed to help them followed by your equally long and drawn-out death. If you were cunning enough and not in an altruistic mood, you would escape having used your friends as bait and diversions. But, of course, the trade of 3 dead for 1 escape is not a good business model and in the end, you’d always buckle and succumb to your stupid human desire to help others. Those eyes of black, sunken beneath the rotten pig’s head glared at you with undeniable, unquestionable hatred. 

You could never understand why or from where such loathing had stemmed and for a long time you had bitterly accepted that you would never know. It was their job to kill you after all. Why expect them or her to show anything other than pure, unadulterated malice. But something was off about her kind of hatred. There was something in how she would chase you, feverishly and unrelenting, and in how she seemed to take immense pride in your downfall. Watching you suffer seemed like a drug to her but you assumed it was like that for all the other bastards in this hell-hole. Until you realized that with her it was different.

It was never like this with the others. With them you could feel why they hunted you; some for sport, others a meal and a few simply because they were told too. Obedient dogs, all of them. Except her. She never played by the rules and she never liked it when you didn’t either. 

She would have hated you even more if she knew what you were doing. It was so quiet, the night was cold and the woods around you was seeped with fog and darkness. Right now you weren’t in a trail, rather you were in the in-between time. The moments where you would be allowed safety and rest while you waited for other victims to join you around that eternal campfire. But you weren’t by that fire of warmth and solace. Instead, you were walking deeper and deeper into that ever-expanding, ever-darkening forest. 

You don’t know what exactly compelled you to all of a sudden get up and just start walking. You had no destination in mind, no motive and no reason to leave the circle of fire-light. You knew it was a fruitless effort wandering this wood, every time one dares to venture in they are always turned right back. Be it either the cold, the lack of true direction, fear for what may lurk in that darkness or some other-worldly forces that drove those back to the campfire, none had ever escaped the forest. But you kept walking.

You looked down at your hand and saw the jigsaw piece. A disgusting memento cut from, presumably, the skin of a person. The piece burned in your palm and seemed to almost glow under the cast of pale moonlight. From where you had acquired this distasteful piece was unknown but you had a suspicion. It was from her. But you couldn’t seem to remember when she had given it to you. It confused you. Made your brain rot with its presence and possible implications. Why did you have this? Why would she, of all things, give this to you? The jigsaw piece made you think. And it made you walk.

Your twisted desire to understand the purpose of such a grotesque keepsake pushed you forward into the forest. It put fire under your feet and seemed alive as it led you through the quiet trees. Something about the jigsaw piece... was odd. Still moist with blood it looked almost familiar. But you pushed that thought aside and kept walking on. Step after step, foot before foot. Weaving through trees and pushing through small bushes. You had been walking for so long that your mind had begun to wander away from you. You were barely paying attention to your surroundings, everything just looked the same under that half-fill moon, until your foot hit concrete.

Your eyes focused and you saw the forest floor give way to cracked cement beneath your feet. Raising your head you were surprised to see the Gideon Meat Factory stand before you in all its glory. You didn’t actually believe you’d make it here. With all the stories you had heard about how the woods never let anyone leave the camp-fire, you just assumed that eventually, you would end up back where you started. Yet here you were, bathed in the flickering lights of the warehouse. But you didn’t give yourself time to ponder the small details nor gawk at the building's outward might. You were here now and she was waiting for you inside.

It was easy enough to squeeze through the large metal door and it was even easier to find your way around the interior. Its layout was exactly the same as it was in trails and you had had enough of them to know this place like the back of your hand. However, it wasn’t easy finding her. You had nothing to alert you to her presence, no heartbeat, no ominous aura, nothing. You had been searching for her for several minutes, trekking through the place as quiet and nimble as you could. Looking in corners and in all those little hiding spots you could remember that were downstairs. You were almost ready to give up when you stumbled upon her.

It was the room above the shit-covered bathroom. The walls were lined with pig-masks and designs for other torturous machines. In the center was a work table, on it were those signature devices, reverse bear traps the others called them. And working at the table, with their back towards you, was her. Wiry black hair cascaded down the shoulders of a red-coated woman. 

She didn’t seem to notice that you were there, your ability to remain silent impressing you. You were better than you thought. But now the problem was how to announce your appearance to her without triggering her attack mode. You considered clearing your throat. Or taking a more dramatic approach and just outright speaking. In the end, however, you didn’t have to decide anything. For she had already turned around to face you.

You froze. There was quite a distance between you two but even from where you were you could have sworn you saw her jump at the sight of you. Maybe you surprised her. The only reason she turned around was not to greet you but simply to retrieve a part for her project. Now she was stuck under your stare, shocked to see you in this place. 

There was a long silence between the two of you, in that time no one dared move. ‘So what now?’, you thought. ‘What do I say to her? Or do I just leave? Would she even let me leave?’ Again that decision was taken from you as you felt your own right hand move as if on its own accord. It reached out in front of you and dropped the jigsaw piece to the floor. Suddenly you knew what to say. You knew what to do.

“Who is that from?” Your voice carried around the metal walls of the warehouse. You were surprised, and if not a little grateful, that it sounded so normal and loud. She, however, didn’t seem to notice. Her eyes fixed solely on you. Under ordinary circumstances, you would have been terrified beneath that glare of hers. But now wasn’t the time to be scared. You had to fake it, fake your confidence and conviction until she did something. 

She didn’t. She never moved and never broke your stare. But as the tension built up, so did your understanding. She didn’t need to speak to give you an answer. You already knew who the jigsaw piece was from. You just didn’t want to admit it.

“No!” You cried. Your outburst echoed impressively around the whole building. “No. It can’t be from me!” You began patting your arms and legs as if to check yourself for something. “I’m not... missing anything! I...” your breathing hitched and you began to feel yourself becoming unhinged. Desperate you look up at her. “I haven’t died. I-I’d remember if I had! I’d remember if you had cut that”, you pointed the flesh on the ground, “from me.” 

You took a moment to bring your racing mind back under your control and as you did you were hit with the realization that you were wrong. Many times you had watched your friends get butchered by the killers yet somehow they’d always end up back at the camp-fire safe and healthy. No one ever seemed to remember that just hours before they were hacked into by a knife or someone’s claws. You assumed they just didn’t want to think about it but... it makes so much more sense if they just forgot. No one ever remembered their death, not even you.

You felt your hands begin to sweat. “How many times?” Your voice now was barely above a breathless whisper. Again she gave no verbal response, only watched as you came to your own conclusion. A lot. You felt your hands begin to shake. “All this time. All this death. And...” Your eyes began to swell. “I’m still not happy.’’ You had to stop yourself from crying. You could feel the wave start to  crescendo and you knew it wasn’t long before you’d break and drown. But you couldn’t do that here. Not in front of her. A flame burst inside you and gave you the strength to keep the thoughts at bay therefore not offering her the front row seat to the show of your fall into despair. You wanted to spite her. 

So you bit down of your sadness and, with newfound fire, scowled at her. She blinked in amused surprised. Although rage burned in your heart, you weren’t going to give her the satisfaction of watching you go up in flames. You were under control now, total control. You let your anger give you strength but you did not let it consume you. 

“Why do you hate me so much Pig?” You asked, your tone holding no emotion save for tired indifference. You were done playing games, tip-toeing around the fact that this whole situation is one big fuck up. You were tired and you just wanted answers. You couldn’t help but pass a small chuckle at her expected silence. “Of course, I know the answer to that as well.” Her interested peaked, she cocked her head ever so slightly to the side as an indication for you to elaborate. She was going to allow this, for the time being, you provided entertainment for her, a well-needed distraction from her otherwise mundane work. 

“I’m not stupid despite what you might believe.” You were picking up steam now, the words seeming to pour out of you like an unchecked facet. “I know it’s your job to kill us. The other killers like you do it because they like it, watching us all suffer. But you, are different.” You pause and cast your eye over to her, ensuring that she gave you her whole attention. “You hate me specifically. I’ve seen how you look at me. Forgive me if I sound egotistical but I cannot deny the way you seem to dislike me so much more than the others. You only ever want to see me suffer. You couldn’t care less about the others.”

The room hummed with the ever-flickering electrical lights and you watched her intently, waiting for a sign. She remained still but you could hear her breathing. Heavy and filled with anticipation. She was eager to hear your answer. “Those eyes, that look of utter angry and loathing, I’ve seen it all before. Its the look I give myself when I look in the mirror.” Pig raised her head and narrowed her eyes, where were you going with this?

“You hate me,” you swallowed, suddenly nervous at the prospect of revealing your ideas. “You hate me because I’m just like you.” This seemed to have stirred something within her as she inhaled slowly, puffing out her chest and squaring her shoulders. She didn’t like that accusation at all. It was a bold statement and her mannerisms indicated that you needed to provide proof for such a claim. You quickly obliged. “We’re the same, you and I. We both hate ourselves. We sit alone in self-made isolation and we drown ourselves in our own hatred. But, I suppose, the reason you stand there,” you point to her as if there was an imaginary line separating you and her, “and I stand here is that you took that hatred and dispelled it onto other people. And I...” You trailed off. Taking a deep breath you continued, you voice light with airy resentment.

“But I see that even after killing and hurting other people, after indulging yourself in what you thought would help you, you still have enough self-hatred left to...” your eyes trailed down her arm. She quickly shoved her hand behind her back and growled.

“Leave.’‘ Her voice boomed. It caught you so off guard that she even spoke to you that for a moment it didn’t even register what she said. Regardless you had come too far to just walk out now. So you remained put. She growled again. “Leave. Now!” Her voice was scratchy and deep, riddled with what sounded like neglect, like she hadn’t spoken in years. 

“Or what?’‘ You were getting cocky now, “You’ll kill me? I think if you really wanted me dead you would have done so the moment I-”. Suddenly you felt something hard strike your chest, knocking the air out of your lungs. She had lunged at you, closing the space between you two in one swift step. With incredible strength she tackled you to the ground, your head hitting the floor with a dull thud and making your vision blurry and leaving everything smelling like copper. She loomed over your chest, blade no longer hidden beneath her sleeve.

“You know nothing of me!’‘ Her voice oozed with an animalistic need for violence and blood. “How dare you come here and make such statements! You know nothing.’‘ She was breathing heavily now, unhinged and letting her emotions run away with her. You looked up at her and saw yourself looking back. You saw a person with the ability to hurt and the ability to do horrible things. She was in a dark place but if your theory was correct and she was truly like you, then she could come back. Or at least, try. You sighed.

“So I was right. We really are alike.” You expected her to end you, to drag that knife across your throat and end you but she didn’t. The Pig’s eyes widened as she realized she was playing right into your trap. She was in the same state of hysterics that you were in just moments before. She looked down at you on the floor between her legs and wanted nothing more to kill you. But she didn’t. For some reason, she could no longer find the will to hate you anymore. 

Slowly the Pig’s breathing regulated and her body lost its stiff tension. ‘This is all so stupid’, she thought, ‘This kid, this stupid little brat... has come all this way just to see me?’ She looked down at you and saw no fear in your eyes. There was nothing, no contempt or resilience. Only exhaustion and something she knew all too well, the look of someone who didn’t care if they died. You weren’t scared, you were just here and you were just waiting. How she envied that, how you didn’t appear to care about dying. About losing your legacy and being a disappointment. She didn’t want to fade, she was given new life and wanted nothing more than to preserve it. But she went too far and let it consume her until she was left with nothing but the hatred for herself because she knew that she will never be good enough for him. Or for you.

She didn’t want to think about all those horrible things she had done to you. She couldn’t bear the thought of it all. She didn’t deserve this. She was immoral, unjust and a failure. Her head began to swell with all the self-directed detest and you watched as she began to slip away back into that dark place. You needed to pull her back somehow. You needed to keep her here long enough so that she could find herself again. You reached and gently touched the hand clenched around the neck of your shirt. She filched at your fingers and snapped her head towards you. For a moment you thought she was going to attack you but instead all you saw was...

“Brown.” You whispered. She blinked, confused.

“What did you say?”

“Brown.” You repeated just as vague as the first time. “I always thought your eyes were empty and black but they’re brown.” The Pig gawked at you, disbelieving and utterly shocked. Eventually, she let out a breathless laugh.

“You’re fucking crazy.” She sighed and stood up. Surprisingly she offered you a hand. After a moment's hesitation, you took it. “Just like me.”

  ~

The next time you encountered The Pig was in a trail. You had been preparing yourself for the worst but nothing too brutal or devastating happened. It was ordinary, well as ordinary as things could be in a place like this. When she eventually downed you and stuck her head into the jaws of that metal contraption, she seemed to linger above you. You inhaled sharply when you felt a hand slip into your back jean pocket. It was her. You didn’t need to see what she had given you in order to know what it was. Another jigsaw piece. She wanted you to come back.

The thought of returning to her alone and without the judgment of the cosmic ‘thing’ that drove her to madness ignited something inside you. And you couldn’t help but feel a small smile tug at the corners of your lips.

[zenmountainssundaypost]

“Hey Baby, you sure smell gooood. “

The Does have the bucks worked up again. The Rut has started on Zen Mountain .

The Buck stops here

This time of year, when I am not brooding about winter, is one of my favorites. We get to see a lot of bucks as the rut starts up.

Most of the year they big boys stay in their little hidy holes . We have Blacktail deer up here. Bucks tend to own small deep dark areas in the thickest of woody glens. You can , and I have walked right by big bucks without them moving…Then they leap up , I have a friggin heart attack followed by me gingerly making my way home to change my shorts.

During archery season , finding a buck up here is usually a chore. We are on the edge between woods and prairie . Beings the boys like the deep dark and we have open expanses , we don’t see them.

Come the rut however ; the boys are dumb and lookin’ for love.

Get off me !

More often than not, the girls are not as interested as the boys are… Hmmm..

Generally , the girls want absolutely nothing to do with the bucks going as far as running up to Ma and myself where the boys simply wont go.

“Crap! Buck blocked again !”

Before the big winter storm that lasted weeks on end up here dropping inches of snow per hour, day and night for all those weeks , we had a LARGE band of deer . Does were constantly in the yard and getting into trouble . With dozens of does during rut you get a LOT of bucks come through.

Since the storm other than our doe that hangs out here at the homestead, we do not see very many meaning less bucks and of course that means less fawns which again leads to less deer….

The numbers are slowly coming back slow but sure. The winter is suppose to be mild so we shall see once they all herd up for the season.

We still get to see quite a few bucks as they wander through looking for our girls and they running from the boys.

Nice rack!

We have had several come by throughout the years . Usually the Big Boys still manage to only come through when it is predawn…or right after I put the camera inside.

In Theory; I have a video of some decent sized bucks from yesterday though I haven’t had a chance to see how it turned out. They were a couple hundred yards out.. If there is anything it’ll probably end up as one of the “seasonal” music vids.

These boys aren’t the biggest nor are they the smallest but when they come in , it is always great to see them. They made it through hunting seasons…sometimes Ma and I grit our teeth when we see a nice sized body buck that would have looked nice in the freezer as venison is a nice portion of our meat group. We don’t just go for racks, it’s all about the meat.. smaller antlers and bigger body is far more important to us.

Hunting season over , they are all about looking at them and enjoying watching the antics between the boys and gals.

Busted

We are generally slow moving up here as a rule . We normally are fairly quiet .We still get busted by the deer ALL the time.

In my case, my field of view is crap now to begin with but I also tend to be thinking about a project or problem when I take that step out onto the deck only to feel someone staring at my back. Turning around it is usually a doe some ten feet away that I hadn’t noticed…dumbass …

The girls normally just stare at me. Sometimes they start simply due to me moving quickly to look at something..something important…. like a deer bush , or possibly a bear rock….*eye roll* only to have an actual animal right behind me.. Because I am soooo in tune with my surroundings.

I have had a few bucks this season watching me before I see them..Pretty sure one of them stuck his tongue out at me before he turned around to walk off.

Yesterday I was harvesting tomatoes and peppers..Yup they are still going in November this year…When Ma says;

” Don’t move. Turn around he is right behind you.”

Ok..so in my mind , my sarcasm is weighing comments verses doing what Ma says:

” Hmmmm point out that I can Not ‘not move’ while turning around and who exactly is right behind me which covers a lot of land to not move and turn around to…meh… I’ll just follow instructions ish..”

Sure enough another nice buck was staring at me harvesting…

I watched him..

He watched me..He looked at the hand full of tomatoes then back to me , then tomatoes.

I turned back to finish harvesting.. There was no way I could get out of the garden , around the deck , up the stairs , into the house, back out with the camera all without moving..Soooooo.. As I couldn’t see him all that well anyway..Figured if he was hungry , he could come help. Seems turning my back to him upset him and to took off…

He came back later.. Garden gate closed

“HA!”

Final thoughts

Today’s post is another short one with me trying to get some work around here done and back in the “studio” again

Back in the Saddle

Yesterday I put up the ” Public ” version of

“The Awakening “ a year in the folder waiting for me to get back in “Studio” mode.

A year ago October , I watched the sun rising and sat in the studio watching what was at the time a couple pics and came up with this…. This last a couple days I added a bass track and some mixing….Yup… all that time for a couple day’s work…

I am presently looking at “Donnybrook ” the Lightning storm music vid which has been on the shelf even longer. I pulled several tracks that I wasn’t too happy with so I will have to rework them. Then I get to sit down with the storm and try to sync the two together …So.. Probably not today….or this week….

As I say , I have the new Buck vid , no idea if anything will come from it. Lost my Elk video SOMEWHERE.. I have been looking for a good week . Also lost a really cool full moon rise, and a couple cool snow vids. So…. I’ll just be watching for more fun stuff out there . That is  the nice thing about using daily stuff up here for inspiration : errr… It can happen any day. Just not Every day.

Sit and Spin

Ma has been working with her travelling “ Pocket Wheel” Yesterday , we decided to more or less relax and she with her wheel and I with the studio…..

Hummie sat outside the front room window bobbing his head from side to side like watching a tennis match while both Ma and I were “What the Hell!”ing and Seriously?!?! Come On!”ing until he got bored and flew off.

The thing about Ma’s small wheel is that it can be adjusted down so fine..Which means , of course, there are a billion fine adjustments all of which make Ma swear like…well like me.

Trying to get the wheel set when there is no real info out there other than ” It’s so easy..”

What in the Hell kind of instruction is that ? Fixing a toilet is easy too but I have seen Many numbnuts bugger the hell out of that from flooding restrooms to cracking bowls . Telling them “It’s easy.” Isn’t going to keep you from heading to the store to buy a new toilet to replace the shattered one or from having to run grab the wet vac..

For the Instructionally challenged ; Instructions are like a “How To ” or ” DIY ” page or video ..Instructions are not adjectives…friggin duh.

Anyway.. so that is something I am trying to help Ma with by looking in other directions.

And of course , Ma isn’t just trying to set up a new style of wheel , learn to spin with it which is completely different from her Castle Wheel but she is also running a different style of spinning as well as Plying ….Yes.. I know “Blah Blah..Yakity Smakity ” I’ll get into all of that in another post ; one for Ma and her spinning/ knitting..

*shrug* I think it is interesting . Ma makes some great shawls , caps , hats , gloves, sweaters ; of many styles and uses, very nice warm socks , once again many styles…and on and on with out a single snot rag cozy in the house .

Weather forecast

The Sun will come up at some point , dropping once again until a moon possibly takes its place.

We are having mostly wet weather with some wind in between. Temps are dropping.. All those things that mean Fall. The day warms.. the wind blows..The wind blows.. the next storm comes in…then the wind blows…

It looks like we are suppose to get down to freezing at night for the next few eves coming up Tuesday which , of course will finally wipe out the harvest….with a large pot of Salsa Verde Zen Mountain style following shortly there after….Hopefully we will still have jars as there are several other canning projects ahead of that and it does NOT freeze well at all.

Zen Vee shall See

Waking up early is almost a chore for my eyes now days as I watch the sun rise in part for them to adjust slowly to light keeping the headache to this side of blinding rage.

Still , sitting out in the mornings even in the dark is interesting.

Walking through the front room , the house is as dark as it was when I went to bed. Looking out the front windows I can see the lights of Gotham far below.

Not wanting to wake Ma just yet , I stumble about in the kitchen for a cup of coffee, pouring black coffee from a black coffee maker into a black cup in the dark..marginally tougher than in the light with my crappy vision . Deciding by weight that the coffee is actually in the cup and not o the counter , I quietly open the doors to go out to the porch.

Far too early for worrying about a camera , I sit down to watch the far Eastern skies , looking for a glimmer.

Slowly a wink of orange flares in and out . The colors blackening as clouds far beyond the far ridge swallow the first signs of dawn.

I see movement through the few bushes that are between myself and Gotham. Hints of silhouettes of something walking through the last vestiges of a night wearing down. Picking up Ma’s Binocs , I look around to see a pair of does coming in as they normally do in the early morns . A large buck following behind them snuffling at the scent they leave.

The buck’s neck , swollen with the rut  doesn’t notice me watching the three of them as the girls make their way into the yard. Too dark to count antlers even with the binoculars , I put them down to pick up my coffee .

The buck stands off to the side of the does while they lick at the mineral block. The girls know I am sitting there, they had watched me as they came in with a pleading glance at the buck and back to me. I shrug my shoulders . They sigh as one and attempt to ignore Horny Boy while they hang out .

The girls edge away from their courter while he edges ever closer whispering sweet little ;

“Berrrrrrrrppppp”s at them . Seemingly a Don Juan De Redneck ..pretty sure belching in a girl’s ear has never worked in swaying any gal to give up her virtues ..but then , What do I know?

It was about that time that I moved at the wrong moment and he saw me.. Being the proverbial “Deer in the Headlights” he stood there “He can’t see me if I don’t move right ? “ …um no.. that would be Myth….

“Crap….” He slowly backed away from the girls as they waved and giggled then all but dropped to the ground , unclenching .

“Thanks Da…. “

I watched the buck easing back into the brush , looking through branches at me.

” Still see you Bud..”

“Crap..”

The colors of a coming dawn began to once again seep between layers of low clouds; reds golds and orange traced with browns. The clouds black and heavy as the next wave of rain began to fall.

It is beginning to look like

Just another day on Zen Mountain

  Getting into a ” Rut” It’s that time of year "Hey Baby, you sure smell gooood. " The Does have the bucks worked up again. The Rut has started on Zen Mountain .